Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Gihanna Zoe, 17, of Redlands, Calif., performed “She Used to Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles. Kelly Clarkson and Nick Jonas turned late in the performance. Kelly said she was impressed by Gihanna and thinks they would make a good fit. Nick said Gihanna’s soaring high notes were especially impressive. Giahnna opted to join Team Kelly.

Here’s more about Gihanna:

* Her father is a pastor and Gihanna started singing in church around age 6. She was also inspired to learn piano.

* She attended a performing arts school for five years and told Voice Views her focus was on pop performance and musical theater. Her musical theater roles have included Princess Tiana (Disney), Nehebka from “Aida” and a member of the Dynamites in “Hairspray.”

* Gihanna has also traveled around southern California performing for elementary and middle school students, as well as at Disneyland, the House of Blues in Anaheim and the Fox Theater in Riverside, Calif.

* “I’ve easily performed over 300 shows, which means easily over 3,000 kids have been able to watch me do what I love,” Gihanna told Voice Views, adding that she takes special satisfaction when she can “help others fall in love with their passions through simply watching me do the same.”

* Gihanna also got involved in screenwriting when she was in eighth grade. She’s since written two movies, 12 short films and four plays. One of her short film screenplays won a silver award at the national level.

* She said a major upside of that success was that it made her more confident in her songwriting and her ability to express herself through music.

* Gihanna said she’d describe her original music as pop-alternative with indie influences. “I really enjoy mixing all things I like to hear in music and taking it to inspire my own kind of music, from the lyrics down to the music and beat.”

* She told Voice Views her musical inspirations include Tori Kelly and Emily King from a singing aspect, Kehlani and sza from a performance aspect. “Finally from an artist and songwriting aspect, who I’m heavily influenced by … is Conan Gray and Taylor Swift (also some of my dream collaborations).”

* She said she chose “She Used to Be Mine” for her audition “mainly because of the story it tells. … I told myself as long as I’m able to make the people watching me, at least one, feel something through me telling my own story through the song, that would be enough and I strongly believed that ‘She Used to Be Mine’ told my story in a perfect way.”

* Gihanna admits she always thought she’d join Team Nick if she had the chance. But she decided on Team Kelly because Kelly’s feedback on her blind audition gave her a glimpse at “what her coaching was like. … Everything she said resonated with me so well, down to the smallest details she noticed in my blind audition and wanted to help me grow and improve on. I know I couldn’t have made a better choice for a coach and I’ll be forever grateful.”

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